Wall of Theseus
Wall of Theseus was a mighty starfort, originally known by its designation "G11A-F09P Theta", unique in pattern and class alike. It was constructed around 325.M33 in Segmentum Ultima and it was assimilated into Imperial Navy in 330.M33. Its name was derived from the fort's most famous commander, Commodore-Captain Theseus. The fort took part in numerous campaigns and maintained defensive positions against even the most overwhelming odds. Its massive broadside salvos were finally overcome by the Flesios xenos who invaded the fort during the Flesios Incursion in late-M36 and drove it down on the surface of the world Bastion in Gregora sector. The massive starfort was reassembled over the years as the mightiest fortress on Bastion. History Origins Governor Ferdinand Nilung of Leto Indis-1, a somewhat remote mining colony near galactic core, had frequently send pleas for help to defend against the pirates who hauled significant portion of the colony's outcome. Governor Nilung had spend all he could into defensive structures such as weapon platforms and high-orbit space stations which were all heavily armed. In the end it only helped the governor so far as those weapon stations and planetary platforms could protect the convoys only in their range in space and the merchant carracks needed to leave the system to make warp jump onwards. Governor Nilung, who was a capable mechanic and an engineer himself, began to systematically study the imperial weapon and space vessel designs in a way which was not at all proper for an imperial officer. The first drawings of a more effective weapon platform were finished few years later and small models were built by the governor's orders to dot the system's shipping lanes. They proved somewhat more effective than the STC derived laser platforms which were tidal-locked in high orbit of the colony and were situated in the asteroid field. This way Ferdinand Nilung was able to safely mine the asteroids in the system too and he began to dream of a much larger construction for his world's protection. Finally, sometime around 315.M33, governor Nilung began to construct his massive space station design. It was so big he had to use several asteroids as the base upon which to built the station itself. In 324.M33 an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleet took its course through the system and its Magos-Exploratus gave extra attention to the grand "mining complex" which had been under construction for almost a decade now. He grew curious about its design but grew cautious when the governor refused to let Magos-Exploratus to take a look and inspect his work. Magos-Exploratus informed his forge about it and in no time at all number of Tech-priests appeared in the system and demanded to inspect the new vessel as it was quite unusual indeed. The governor was not born yesterday and he knew that the agents of Mechanicus could not be swayed by his words only and that he needed help from his masters in Adeptus Administratum. Ferdinand Nilung immediately contacted the Lord Militant Governor Heru Lorthrace of Rastend, his superior, and demanded that the Mechanicus agents should be seized immediately as they were about to confiscate the starfort as theirs by the divine right to rule over technology. Lord Militant Governor's envoy found in 325.M33 when it reached the system of governor Nilung, that the agents of Mechanicus had took their right to deem governor as a heretek and his belongings were confiscated and the mining colony was put under Adeptus Mechanicus rulership. Forge world Kuntix I had already sent massive new drills and other mining equipment to extract the world dry of its minerals. Population was mostly lobotomized with brain-transplants and bionics, the Red Priesthood had taken over. Lord Militant Governor was insulted when all what was left of one of his mining colonies was the family of late-governor Nilung. He used all his time and effort to get the starfort integrated into the Battlefleet Rastend. Boar of Croy Finally, in 330.M33, by the efforts of Lord Militant Governor Lorthrace the mighty starfort built by Ferdinand Nilung was assimilated into the Imperial Navy and Battlefleet Rastend. Officials of Adeptus Administratum and the Imperial Fleet had demonstrated in a data-scroll of fifteen billion Imperial standard screenlenghts how the Battlefleet Rastend required a static defensive position located in deep space near jump points Gaudio-11 A and Flectoir-09 P which linked the Torton's Hope hive world into its main suppliers in Gallia sector and consumers of its goods in eastern Rastend. Hence it was named as the "Navy Element G11A-F09P Theta". The area where jump points Gaudino-11 A and Flectoir-09 P were located was known as the "Gilea's Landing" because number of warp currents seemed to lead there. It was one of the safest routes between sectors Gallia and Rastend and it was regularly scanned and patrolled with heavy weapons of the Battlefleet Rastend. In 331.M33 a massive pirate fleet moved from northern Segmentum Ultima into Rastend sector and began to ransack its worlds. Battlefleet Rastend moved to counter the pirate fleet which was led by an infamous xeno known as the Boar of Croy. The Boar utilised alien technologies granting her and her fleet great advantage over the Imperial Navy which unpredictable and dangerous warp jumps made defending the sector against a mobile pirate fleet nigh impossible. Because of the Boar and her fleet, many supply convoys failed to reach their destinations and revolts were lit in number of worlds. Havoc and mayhem on worlds plundered by the pirates escalated into few rebellions and the Imperial Guard had to step in to prevent complete secession of the worlds attacked. Not only that, the Boar and her filthy alien brood spread sickly symptoms among the populations on worlds they had attacked causing wild mutations and reverting into primal beasts. The Boar managed to slip through the Navy's fingers multiple times and finally managed to lead the Battlefleet Rastend astray into the far west end of the sector while the pirate fleet advanced towards the hive world Torton's Hope via Gilea's Landing. The starfort was armed and ready but little assisted as most of the battlefleet had been sent across the sector. Citadel-Captain Robin Hortensen held his position between the pirate fleet and Torton's Hope claiming that none would go pass him and his fleet of few escort vessels. The Boar made her first attack against the starfort and destroyed one of its weapon platforms but the fort destroyed five escort-sized ships and countless attack craft before the Boar took some distance to the citadel. During the next attack Citadel-Captain Hortensen tried to flee from the starfort, sure of its fall, but was caught by the Fleet Commissar Arthur Dresden and executed. Ten clicks later the Boar assembled her fleet into a new attack formation and assaulted the starfort, already seeing her hive world price ahead. Task Force Theseus under the command of Commodore Theseus Nilung of the Battlefleet Gallia had received emergency message beyond their operation area and the young commodore was waiting for further instructions from his fleet's commander. There seemed to be a lot of interference in the psychic links at that time and Commodore Nilung turned restless. He finally decided to make a jump into Rastend sector and its Gilea's Landing to check the emergency message which had been screaming in the Astropathic Relays for a few clicks already. Like he was guided by the Emperor himself Task Force Theseus arrived in Gilea's Landing just in time to defend the jump point to Torton's Hope from the Boar of Croy. Commodore Nilung made contact with Fleet Commissar Dresden and directed the remaining two escorts of the starfort's task force while orchestrating his own task force to form a massive fire-zone to cripple the pirate fleet completely. By diving beneath the starfort's firezone Commodore Nilung managed to destroy a significant portion of the pirate fleet in the matter of hours. The Boar's fleet was then herded towards the starfort which fired its destructive salvos of its massive macro-cannon batteries. The Boar herself, as the final act of hostility towards the Mankind, assaulted the Commodore Nilung's Grand Cruiser Mathilda but was struck down by the Commodore himself in the corridors of Mathilda. Wall of Theseus Commodore Theseus Nilung's actions were quickly weighted by the Fleet Commissariat and the Warfleet Ultima. He was granted the rank of Commodore-Captain and took over the starfort and the small fleet attached to the defense of the Landing. After few years Commodore-Captain Nilung requested that his skills and the power of the mighty starfort would be situated into a more "active" area. The priests of Mars reactivated the warp-engines of the starfort and after months of preparations the starfort was resituated into an active warzone in a nearby sector. Under the command of Commodore-Captain Theseus Nilung, who had inherited the starfort by skill and blood alike, the starfort became known as the Wall of Theseus. Commodore-Captain Nilung was stubborn and unyielding which suited the unwinnable defenses of the starfort. In 335.M33 the Wall was situated in a new warzone and it guarded the massive industrial planet Rossoth Alpha which was the key supplier of the troops who fought against the nightmarish tide of the Chaos Lord Gredakh the White and his Black Crusade. The orbit of Rossoth Alpha was littered with debris and lifeless hulls of Gredakh's fleet as the Wall repelled the initial attack of the Black Crusade. After Gredakh's forces were mostly destroyed in an another battle near Rapakarsansas Secundii the Chaos Lord himself returned in Rossoth system and challenged the Commodore-Captain Nilung who had crippled the Chaos Lord's Black Crusade right at the beginning. Wall of Theseus directed its lance-arrays and fired the remaining fleet of the Chaos Lord hours before they reached any boarding distance. Flesios Incursion During the Flesios Incursion, which lasted from 811.M36 to 900.M36 in the wilderness space between Kelpie Rifts and Gregora sectors, the Wall was attacked by a massive swarm of the Flesios xenos. Driven by the sheer weight of the xenos, who rammed the starfort with their huge serpent-like bodies, the starfort was to fall on the world of Bastion it had guarded. The sacrifice of the Wall was most likely necessary in order to destroy the Flesios wholly, but it was indeed a grievous loss for the Imperium and the defense of the Mankind. After the Flesios Incursion the Wall was slowly repaired and made into a new fortress on Bastion. It was baptisted by fire during the Scarlet Crusade in 291.M38 - 316.M38. Weaponry The main armanents of the Wall are three triple-linked V-Maxia pattern lance-arrays. They have devastating power and a range which only the most powerful battleships, or other space stations, can rival. The massive size of the Wall allows it also to carry three Aeronautica divisions each one home to three Navy wings. Traditionally these have been following: *Task Force Theseus Navy Division One (TF-G11A-An6-I) **8600th Naval Wing **8601st Naval Wing **8602nd Naval Wing *Task Force Theseus Navy Division One (TF-G11A-An6-II) **8606th Naval Wing **8607th Naval Wing **8608th Naval Wing *Task Force Theseus Navy Division One (TF-G11A-An6-III) **5835th Fighter Wing **5836th Fighter Wing **5904th Fighter Wing In addition to the lance-arrays and Navy Wings, the fort is able to counter any vessel who dares to near the starfort. The round appendages on each of the fort's four sides are built as massive macro-cannon balls, able to fire in any given direction and angle with devastating power. The appendages have additional shield generators which protect them against almost any threat there is. They can be detached from the main body of the starfort in order to leave them behind. Notes Notable Commanders *330.M33 - 333.M33 - Robin Hortensen *333.M33 - 345.M33 - Theseus Nilung *~ ~ ~ ~ *847.M36 - 850.M36 - Hasar Notable Engagements *331.M33 - 333.M33 - Defeat of the Boar of Croy *335.M33 - 337.M33 - Black Crusade of Gredakh the White *811.M36 - 850.M36 - Flesios Incursion Category:Space Stations Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Navy